Online Perfume Sales: What can I Do to Protect Myself from Fakes and Scams?

The online world, auction or fixed price store, isn't as angelically created as we would have dreamt it. In short, scammers and consters are out there and are just waiting to pounce on innocent perfume lovers' hard earned cash and curiosity to try elusive (or not so elusive) things. When at sea, what do you do to avoid drowning? Learning to swim is counted among the basics and applying some common sense. That last part is the hardest, escaping even the most seasoned buyers', but the swimming techniques are a bit easier to master. In this Perfume Shrine guide we will help you along online shopping with practical advice which you can reference along the way.

When looking for an online perfume store you'll want to consider a few factors before hitting the button of the purchase or entering you card details (remember, once you've paid, things get considerably more complicated to remedy). Some of the points to ask yourself:
• Does the company offer a wide selection of perfume and cologne? This isn't always a conclusive rule of thumb, but it means that if there is some dissatisfaction you might have an easier time subsituting your purchase with something else.
• Does the company charge a reasonable fee for sending you your purchase? Furthermore, does the shipping sound logical or exorbitant? Sometimes a bargain is not a bargain when the shipping talies up into more than the retail price.
• What is their Return Policy? What if you're not satisfied with your purchase once it arrives? Can you return it for a full refund? Is there an actual brick-and-mortar address listed and a phone number, besides an email, to call and request assistance? For international folks, it's always a good idea to check that there is someone to help along in your own language (or at least in decent enough English) as well.
It's also good policy to get familiar with what you're looking for before you start: Check the Internet for images of the perfume you want, check it out in an actual store if you can, read online reviews and seek info such as those posted on Perfume Shrine regarding frequent questions on perfume matters.

For starters, you can check the site of Top Consumer Reviews for Perfume. Fulfilling the above criteria (and with no affiliation) we have heard good things about: Scented Monkey, Fragrance Emporium, Fragrance Net, Beauty Encounter, Scentiments, FragranceX and Strawberrynet.com. Not so good scores are posted about The Perfume Spot and Perfume Land, in terms of difficulty of searching and slow delivery or lapses in stock inventory. (These are all easily Google-able companies).
There is a special notepad on Makeup Alley, compiled with the input of independent consumers to reference good (and bad) experiences with online stores. Regularly updated. Check it out on this link.

Extreme caution is to be applied when dealing with 1stPerfume.com and its sister site Overstockperfume.com (both located in New York), according to the testimonies of many perfume enthusiasts posting online on fora. The service is lacking and refunding is spoty to say the least. Plus often rare fragrances appear as being in stock, while in truth they are not, but you're only notified after you have gone through the purchase! By then it's an ongoing struggle to get them to refund you, as people who have showed up in person report.
Please note that Parfum1.com is a seperate business than the above questionable ones and does not have any shady politics behinds their sales. Their international shipping however is a bit steep lately. Sites which are reliable and storing rare fragrances, although at not so economical prices, include nellbutler.com.

Niche fragrance selling sites are in their vast majority very reliable for obvious reasons: Aedes, Luckyscent, Ausliebezumduft, the PerfumeShoppe, Les Senteurs, Senteurs d'Ailleurs are all great (they're also eminently Googleable).

Regarding online decanters most are there out of their sheer passion for the subject and are selling genuine stuff with very good service. The prices can vary, so a little careful tallying up is in order, but this field includes (funnily enough, since they're "amateurs" compared to the bigger stores) some of the most reliable shopping you can do online: They appeal to aficionados and aficionados know quite a bit about the aficion...
Top-drawer choices include The Perfumed Court, The Posh Peasant, Reirien.com, Flacon Ambaric, Eiderdownpress.com. It would be most logical to use these to get hold of something you can't get anywhere else or some vintage you have been curious about but don't want to risk investing in a big or bogus bottle in an online auction.
The Wikidot Scentsplits site is a seperate case: it's not a business, contrary to all of the above. Rather a community of members who also belong on several perfume boards (including Makeupalley, Basenotes and Perfume of Life -which in themselves include some Shop /Swap function for their members) and who "split" their fragrances into smaller portions which they sell to interested parties in order to subsidize part of their perfume purchases. The process thus relies on an honour system, as it's conducted through private emails with no feedback or token system taken into account. However, most members are very reliable and they provide their boards' username where they participate as swapping or selling partners so as to convince of their good intentions and proper conduct. Proceed with common sense and you won't have any problems. It's also good advice to get them to also provide a regular email address for further discussion, apart from their username for communication just on the boards.

Counterfeit perfumes is a common phenomenon, in the streets as well as online (do your research beforehand), and although the majority of reliable perfume stores check their wares and are guaranteeing authenticity beyond approach, once in a blue moon the worst can happen to the very best, inadvertedly. (Some stockists act as intermediaries and don't open the packages they receive from their distributors of course before selling to you, so they can't know. If you stumble on such an occurence, notify the seller immediately; they would most probably refund you immediately and check with their distributor, thus stopping the line there.)

Ebay is a completely different proposition than etailers.
1.On the one hand you have mainstream perfumes which can (and often) are counterfeit . It's estimated one in ten perfumes sold as genuine is actually fake! Most usually these involve best-selling fragrances rather than less popular ones (makes sense!). Since these are cheaply made in someone's tub in China and packaged in look-alike premanufactured packaging, the limited editions, gift sets and obscure flankers of well-known perfumes are highly improbable to be faked; it doesn't make sense to devote that much energy on the faker's part. Best-sellers is where's at it.
Most niche perfumes are relatively safe too for the same reason, although you might want to be wary on bottles which are splash-on or have screw-off tops to refill: they might be "cut" with perfumer's alochol by uncrupulous sellers (This might be why the newer Lutens bell jars come sealed with plastic around the neck!). "Testers" often come under suspicion from beginners, but on the contrary they are invariably a very safe purchase at an advantageous price: They are simply sold by the company to stores in order to have them on the counter for customers to sample and so are usually non boxed/non-capped or come in plain packaging. They absolutely contain the EXACT same juice as the regular product. If you're not especially keen on the full packaging, they're a great choice.
Most common wares faked include Chanels (Allure -especially the 35ml atomiser-, Chanel No.5, Chance and Coco Mademoiselle) as well as Diors (Hypnotic Poison, J'Adore and Miss Dior Cherie), Cool Water, Aqua di Gio for men, Light Blue, CK Euphoria, DK Be Delicious and other assorted best-sellers; and -funnily enough- Creeds, either belonging to the grey market or being outright fakes. Especially Green Irish Tweed, due to its popularity. Basenotes community members vouch for Creeddirect on Ebay though, saying the product is genuine (NB: we're not affiliated).
Thankfully there are people who have composed Ebay Guides to steer you away from the counterfeits: Here is a general guide on fake designer perfumes, a guide on how to spot fake Chanel Coco Mademoiselle with photos, another one on fake Chanel No.5, another on spotting fake Dior, specifically Hypnotic Poison. And here's a list of the most often counterfeited designers and brands.

Avoid auctions or Buy it Now formats which have stock photos in which the seller refuses to send more info or more pics on the actual bottle they're selling, when asked.
Look for the details: The shrink wrap should fit cleanly around the box, the cellophane be clear and unwrinkled and the glue applied carefully and evenly. The packaging should include the fragrance’s name, the company that made it, and a list of ingredients. Alarm bells should go off if there are spelling or punctuation errors, duplication of words, or grammar errors. Arabic or Japanese writing however is totally legit: it's genuine product for the Asian markets, the Middle East and Japan being huge buyers of western perfumes.
The actual juice of a fake might be stale-smelling, sour or lasting only a nanosecond compared with the genuine stuff. It's best to compare with store-bought when in doubt and out of sanity, then toss. Asian markets such as China and Hong Kong often don't even attempt to hide it (just Google "counterfeit Chanel") and New York or Michigan locations also sometimes are sources of fakes, so beware! And you don't need me to tell you not to buy prestige perfume off a street stall, do you?

2.On the other hand, Ebay is often for many the first port of call for vintage fragrance sleuthing. This has its inherent dangers: Vintage fragrances (especially very rare ones) just can't possible be compared to anything to ascertain their authenticity or good upkeep. Even if you have a sample from an online decanter, ask yourself (and them): Where did they source it in the first place? In cases where there no doubles to compare in the whole wide world (see Iris Gris by Fath for instance), no one can know, not even an expert! Besides, not two bottles of the same vintage have been kept the same way, thus resulting in slight differences. You see the complications!
Not to mention that there are a few unscrupulous guys who buy empty vintages and refill with either modern juice at a huge mark-up or who knows what else, relying on perfume lovers' enthusiasm and desire for a rare possession/investment. One of them has become infamous through an expose on Perfume Posse in spring 2007. He has since changed account usernames, so there's no use to name names. Suffice to say, his location is invariably Pennsylvania or North Carolina, the auctions are worded emphatically including the original date of the fragrance's composition (but no info on when the specific bottle was approximately made thus misleading) and the colour of the juice inside is invariably a deep reddish-maroon (if you notice it once, you will forever notice it in all his auctions!). He takes care to have not completely full bottles, allowing for "natural age evaporation" and -coincidentally- most of his bottles are splashes (some with elaborately faked labels). He also seems to have an endless supply of specific rare things, especially Carons (Farnesiana and Tabac Blond extraits are his specialty, as well as older classic Guerlains in a pleiad of incarnations and coveted Cuir de Russie, No.22, Bois des Iles and super rare No.46 Chanel extraits in collectable bottles). His feedback is 100%, reportedly through either terrorisation of buyers or via buying off accounts with an already stellar feedback and continuing the scam like a bee hoping from flower to flower. Of course he's not the only one, but the rest are not as elaborate, thank God.
If you have already been scammed, do your duty, ask for a refund, report it if there is serious trouble from seller. Be vocal, there is no legal background that doesn't allow honest feedback on consumer reviewer pages and the con artists rely on bullying to have people silenced. You can also file for Internet fraud.

It's worthwhile to mention that not all "weird" bottles are the product of an internet scam nevertheless. Some are just innocent mistakes through ignorance or very limited editions with no glamorous launch. On this article we have highlighted some odd occurences which are clearly not intentional scamming. But in general, if it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is! Ask questions on the perfume fora or on this blog and you will receive good advice from people who have collected perfume for a long time and can steer you in the right direction.
In the end, it's all proportional and if some of the pleasure for you is the adrenaline rush, you might want to risk it just a bit. Juice aging and different concentrations (EDT vs. EDP vs.EDC vs.extrait) may also produce different results, so don’t jump to conclusions immediately! And don't get paranoid if you only paid 17$ for the item and it turns out to be bogus. Chalk it up to a good leason learned and move on!

pics via harper's bazaar, becomegorgeous.com and ebay

My favourite fragrance is discontinued...now what?

Having your favourite beauty product discontinued is akin to been betrayed by a trusted friend. The pain is acute, even if the matter is not so serious. When it comes to fragrance, and even more a signature fragrance, then the issue becomes a bit more alarming. There is a feeling of not being able to find a substitute, of disillusionment, of never being able to be identified by the smell people have been associating with you for so long. What to do? Luckily there are some tips which might help, same as with other beauty products.

The first place to go to track down a much-missed favourite is the manufacturer:
Call the brand’s customer-service department to ask about potential leftover inventory, upgraded formulas/names or comparable substitutes.
For Estée Lauder brands: You can find products discontinued in the last 24 months through the company’s Gone but Not Forgotten program; you can buy up to six pieces, depending on availability. Call 800-216-7173 to start your search. Other companies who sell discontinued items on their site—Lancome-usa.com, and Moltonbrown.com. Some brands such as Clinique.com, 0r Lancome-usa.com feature online alerts, so customers have fair warning when discontinued goods are disappearing. Don't say it came out of the blue!

If the manufacturer is unable to track down an old fave, here is a site worth checking out:
Vermontcountrystore.com: Its niche is hard-to-find items, and customer service will track down products for which they get a lot of requests, even if the site doesn’t carry them. When an item is no longer manufactured and demand is sufficient, the site buys an original formula and reproduces. Also NellButler.com has several older items which might have disappeared from other online stores. You might have to ask an email about price and availability, but it's worth it to track down something elusive.
If you still have no luck, you should try: Ebay.com, Amazon.com and Overstock.com: These sites can list discontinued products because they work with private individuals who might have the items you're asking for. Since the goods offered come from third parties, however there’s always the risk that a product is old or wasn’t stored or shipped properly, so read the fine print carefully regarding any return policy before ordering and ask questions to the seller. An honest and reliable seller is never afraid or reluctant to answer your queries, on the contrary they welcome them as it means you're seriously thinking of buying their merchandise.
Makeupalley.com: You can find in-depth information on tons of products, including discontinued ones, at this social community of beauty-product consumers. You can post a product request on the Swap Board; if another member owns the item, you can negotiate a trade. Check out Scents Splits too: this site works with members of MakeupAlley -and a couple other perfume boards- who are either "splitting" their bottles (this means they share the juice with other interested parties, decanting by hand into vials and negotiating prices and shipping to you) or selling bottles, full or partial. If you see something tagged as vintage it means it's either discontinued or the formula has changed irrevocably ~usually, although not always~ for the worse. Again you can ask questions and negotiate a deal for what you want. Last but not least, there is The Fragrance Foundation: For detailed information on just about any fragrance that’s ever existed, go to fragrancefoundation.org and click on Fragrance Directory.

More tips on May 2009 issue of ShopSmart.

Frequent Questions: How to Seduce with your Perfume According to your Type

There are probably as many ways of seduction as there are women; and there are possibly as many ways of being seduced as there are men. But the human mind being formulaically responsive and often accepting "rules" when in fact there aren't any, one of the perennial questions buzzing around is how to attract and entice through the use of the oldest of accroutements: perfume! Tania Sanchez no doubt has a point that the surest way to gain a man's olfactory attention is bacon, but should you ever find that men are more sophisticated beings than dogs, there are subtler ways to accomplish your goals and pique someone's interest in exploring further and hopefully finding all the lovely things you have to offer. Because, honestly, perfume is wonderful, subliminal, even magical at times, and I should be wise to its charms obviously, but the most appealing scent is the one attached to a wonderful human being. But for our purposes, here is some guidance into choosing an attractive fragrance according to your style or the role you want to playfully incarnate, just in time for St.Valentine's Day. In no way conclusive, it only aims to offer a little fun.

For the friendly girl-next-door type:

Although we take it for granted, there's something to be said about the best things hiding under our noses. And nowhere is this more evident than in choosing a partner for a little casual relationship that can blossom to so much more. Men have been known to have a sweet spot for girls they can be friends with and the male mind seems to be wired so that they enjoy having a little erotic tension with them. The kind of woman for this is often funny, self-depreciating, smarter than you know and she can cuddle up in the couch watching a good round of basketball and those are qualities not to be ridiculed! The fragrances that exude that good-sport vibe are contemporary, well-crafted and with a light-hearted character that does not diminish their loveliness. In that arena the soapy clean ambience of the original Pleasures by Lauder with its spicy pepperiness later on has the touch of familiar, yet cozy. Men appreciate light, clean scents with a subtle hint of woody musk and in such a vein Cruel Gardénia by Guerlain accomplishes the coup with one swept feat if you disregard the completely misleading name. Another one in that abstract style with an indeterminate haze which has an almost universal appeal is Prada's Infusion d'Iris. A little almost edible quality can also be put to good use in the game of effortless seduction, especially when not too foody. The almondy trippy touch of Hypnotic Poison by Dior is popular for a reason and although the advertisements want to present it as a man-eater it is supremely friendly in its eau de toilette incarnation in which it asks to be taken to the back of a car and be nibbled on for hours on end. If you want to combine a little masculine touch along with the nutty edible edge, you can look no further than Vetiver Tonka available at Hermès boutiques. A spicy formula that acts as a kick for further communication could be Sienna Musk by Sonoma Scent Studio. And the familiar touch of usual masculine-fix lavender laced with an unexpected caramelic interlay that will have his taste buds wondering can be found in the very wearable and sexy Kiki by Vero Profumo.

For the mysterious vamp type:

If this type is mostly retained for the silver screen, there is nothing wrong with a little make-believe and a dusting of mysterious fairy-dust on everyday life. Every woman deserves to be able to get out of a pair of gloves Gilda-style once in her life or to dance the flamenco the way Ava Garner did and if this is your fantasy, fragrance offers a special touch to get in the mood ~you yourself, above all, which is the ultimate secret of seduction. For calculating schemes of grandes horizontales you will need a rich, slightly retro fragrance which won't remind him of his grandmother; not because she is old, mind you, but because the intentions behind those numbers are well beyond her capabilities right now I'd guess. Unless she is a vamp herself! (In which case, lucky you, to have a real life parable to watch and learn from!). There is something to be said about the insidious allure of Jean Desprez's Bal a Versailles and the regal air of Narcisse Noir by Caron. A mysterious film noir heroine might wear a couple of strategically placed drops of vintage Cabochard, a leathery chypre with headstrong tendencies. Or Paloma Picasso Mon Parfum , fit for fiery and less sang froid seductresses, who could be swept off their feet themselves by their passions, yet wreck havoc wherever they go. The warm, inviting Tolu by Ormonde Jayne is less outwardly bombastic, but none the less impressive for its animalic tonality which hints at an unbridled sexuality that will surely end up hurting someone.

For the girl-can't-help-it type:

Some women are bursting at the seams and it seems like they exude a naturally endowed charm that encompasses the childlike playfulness with the sensuous appreciation of life that attracts not only men but practically everyone: women, children and animals follow as well. The type is rarer than it seems at first, of course. Prime examples included Marilyn Monroe and it's a delicate balance between appearing exuberant and risking ridicule, so proceed carefully. Lush, carnal fragrances with potent white flowers are by nature generous and in that realm the wonderfully modern, natural smelling tuberose of Carnal Flower by F.Malle is heavy artillery for serious affairs of the heart. The generosity of edible violets flambées on an amber bed hiding inside Guerlain's Attrape Coeur is unsurpassable. If your scheming is envisioned in a tropical surrounding amidst the lush foliage of jasmine vines, then the Venus-flytrap of jasmine fragrances is your best bet: Jasmin Full by Montale is full to the brim! If you're more taken with the jaminess of rich roses, then Liaisons Dangereuses from the By Kilian brand is your surest bet.
Although more restrained and with no discernable big flowers, Rykiel Woman, not for men! sets out to consign its goals from the get-go. A composition that is playful, as warm as a mohair sweater, smart as a whip and giving like a tender mother all at the same time can't but win you over easily. Only to be sought for in the excellent Eau de Parfum concentration; the completely different in smell Eau de Toilette version is nothing to write home about.

For the professional woman eager to let her hair down type:

If it's not bad enough that fragrance is kept to a minimum at the workplace for reasons of courtesy to others, there is also a certain image attached to professional women ~especially very successful ones or ones who hold a position of power. They are deemed detached, a little "cold" and aloof possibly, a little unapproachable. But ever so often, this is just a façade when inside there is a sensuous human being who wants to loosen up and be seen in another way, even if she doesn't have the time to resort to a whole transformation at home before hitting the posh bar for drinks with an eligible bachelor. Her fragrance should have a veneer of polish, while underneath there is a naughtiness that hints at antique rose lace underwear under the strict pantsuit. The pristine good taste of Calèche by Hermès is ladylike on the outset only to hint at an articulate sensuality underneath. The original Armani pour Femme is a chypre so densely rich and opulent it makes you swoon. Iris Poudre by F.Malle has the right touch of airy transparency to make it unobtrusive and the correct dosage of discreet earthiness in the form of luxuriant iris at the background suggesting more intimate ideas. The equivalent of the softest pashmina over bare shoulders, it is a fragrance to transport you above all and make you feel utterly feminine and vulnerable. The bittersweet, discreet vibrato of Douce Amère by Serge Lutens is the perfect accompaniment to an appearence that hides more than it reveals.

For the incurable romantic type:

Perfume is a traditional romantic gift and as such it is laden with lots of associations, memories and reminiscences about relationships past and present and sometimes even subtle innuendo (Remember how Scarlett O'Hara was advised not to accept scented gifts from her many beaux?). There are women who always smile watching Jimmy Steward in "A Wonderful Life" and shed a tear at the final scenes of "An Affair to Remember". Women who like their night gowns trimmed with a little broderie anglaise, their literature peppered with Jane Austen and their fragrances with a touch of floral. Although they're certainly not spoilt for choice, as there are plenty of romantic fragrances around, there are some which are achingly beautiful to match. Chamade by Guerlain is one such composition ~from the name evoking the French phrase "battre la chamade" (inspired by the homonymous drumroll signifying retreat during the Napoleonic Wars) to the lush hyacinth heart with a touch of blackcurrant buds, it is a romantic to end all romantics. The exquisite loveliness of a simple, yet ethereal lily and vanilla mélange is found in Un Lys by Serge Lutens: the last dying breath of an angel in paradise... The embullient rose that is Paris by Yves Saint Laurent has a nostalgic tinge of violets and is so tremendously feminine that it sets the mood by itself.

For the brainy or bohemian type:

If you belong to this subcategory, you're probably reading this article with a healthy dose of scepticism and nodding your head "yeah, yeah, wonder how I would ever fit!". The simple answer is you would not. And most people detest being typecast, so you would never admit to even if you would. But that's perfectly all right, because this is the type of woman that would have to first seduce herself through her choice of perfume and then everyone else. And this is part of the wonderful path of self-discovery, of identity mapping, of evolving of one's sensibilities, tastes and preferences that we call "life". There is no specific fingerprint and the following suggestions are as diverse as the tastes of women belonging in this category. The decadently luxurious iris cloud atop a nappa couch that is Cuir de Russie by Chanel, especially in parfum form, is a natural fit for when you want to exude your most intelligent without foregoing your most beautiful side. The carnal nature of tropical white florals paired with the raw savagery of vetiver as incarnated in Manoumalia by Les Nez is beautifully intriguing. The narcissus and leather mixed with dirt of L'artisan's Fleur de Narcisse as well as the more intimate, naughtier come-hither of L'air de Rien by Miller Harris can be weapons of quirky seduction. And of course if the edgily different and exotic story behind Aziyade by Parfum d'Empire casts a spell on your soul, then the fragrance with its sexy spice interlay atop immortelle might have you feeling like the sexiest harem girl who's reciting Rilke while dancing this side of the Golden Horn.

Pics from top: When Harry met Sally, Body Heat, The Seven Year Itch, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Pride and Prejudice, Mullholland Drive courtesy of community.livejournal/ohnotheydidn't, news.bbc.co.uk, en-easyart.com

Frequent Questions: How to Choose Fragrance for a Gift

With the holidays looming up, choosing gifts for those loved ones and friends can be a really difficult task. And so often the thoughts of those of us enamored with fragrances turns to this thorny path: "How should I choose a fragrance gift for my loved ones so that it suits them and they're pleased with it?" Let's see in this little shopping guide how we can make this a little easier and practical.

Fist of all, I have to observe that fragrance gifting seems to be a procedure that is more or less loaded depending on culture and upbringing: Certain cultures apply highly individualistic attributes and sexualised messages to perfumes in general (designating perfume as an intimate gift or one which is an innuendo to more personal associations). To them, sometimes fragrance gifting from outside the tightest circle of family and/or lovers is suggestive in a manner too close for comfort. Others ~notably Southern Mediterranean people~, inspired by the wide use of Eaux de Cologne as a refreshing pick-me up with no attraction connotations whatsoever, indulge in fragrance gifting with less self-consiousness and it is indeed among the very traditional gestures, even among business associates! Additionally, highly urbanised terrains and younger ages allow for a bottle of fragrance to be seen more like a fashion accesory than a luxury "treasure" to be savoured on special occassions. Therefore, bear those factors in mind when considering to whom you're offering a gift of perfume or how you feel about this yourself (although I am assuming if you have made it here and thus far, you're not antithetical to the idea of presenting someone with a festively wrapped bottle of perfume!)

The first rule of successful fragrance gifting should be that you choose something that is according to the recipient's tastes and needs. Similar to how you wouldn't gift a socialite with a pair of galoches (where would she wear them to?), you don't want to overwhelm a young neophyte with something terribly complicated and meaningful that would feel out of place, yet without resorting to something that is a condescending cliché either. Going through very broad generalisations, it seems that younger women are rather averse to perfumey, face-powdery or floral fragrances as a rule (with the exception of tropical tiare and gardenia fragrances, it seems), prefering more culinary notes of vanilla, almond, tea and the like, or more abstract compositions that smell "out of the shower"/"clean" (those are usually combinations of various musks with synthetic florals or aldehydes). Younger men seem to be wanting to "blend in" (standing out takes either consious effort or the maturing of age), so a quick look through Sephora's best-seller list might provide some pointers to the general direction if not specific scents ~because you wouldn't want to buy what everyone else is buying! Never mind that several fragrances smell so similar to each other anyway.

So how do you go about it? A little investigation into what the recipient is actually enjoying right now is highly recommended. This can come through casual chit-chat (and if you paid attention all along in the past you should be able to at least pinpoint some favorite smells which might serve as a little steering help), through direct asking of what they're currently wearing or through observation of what they do have in their homes on the dresser or the bathroom shelf. If the latter is more silently conductive, pay attention that some bottles might have pride of place simply due to their decorative value, their prestige or simply because they were gifts by beloved people, yet they remain mostly unused (you don't want to repeat that mistake, do you?). Try to determine which of those fragrances get some actual use. If you can, do a comparative test with testers at the store, so you can pinpoint if you have actually smelled them wearing them. Who knows, you might find some little gems for yourself too, in the process!

If your direct question provides a direct answer à la "I am wearing Chanel No.5", there is the pressing tempetation to capitulate and buy just that. Try to resist acting upon it in the literal sense of buying another bottle of that fragrance. Replenishing a diminished stash might devalue the fragrance experience somewhat by unconsiously comparing it to refilling the fridge with milk. It doesn't make for the mingle of joyful surprise and guaranteed satisfaction that a successful gift entails. One lovely idea of bypassing this obstacle might be to buy some of the ancillary products in the same line of the fragrance: Often women -and men- are reluctant to buy those themselves, as they see them as an indulgence that is harder to justify, especially in times of financial recession (those body lotions, fragrant shower gels and shaving foams are more expensive than the more generic products for the same use). This solves two problems: it makes for a gift that can't go wrong smell-wise and it offers a little element of surprise combined!

Another idea, a little more elaborate but not too difficult, might be to search for something along the same lines as the scent of established "like": Belonging to the same olfactory family, encompassing similar "notes", or generally being a comparable style. To get help in this more sophisticated task, you can get help at the counter, but perhaps more effectively you can research a bit yourself online. Fragrantica and Osmoz are databases which describe the olfactory families (citrus, floral, oriental, woody, aldehydic, chypre, fougère) and classify many popular fragrances in them, so you have a little steering help. If, in the meantime, you're unsure what those chypres or aldehydes you're stumbling upon are and how they smell our articles on Perfume Shrine might be of help. (just click on the links and scroll!)
Michael Edwards of the Fragrance Foundation comes to the rescure too. His incredible database Fragrances of the World for feminine and masculine fragrances respectively, allows you to search for the fragrance you want to compare by its initial (how much simpler can you get!) and then shows you similar fragrances to it. It contains mainstream brands, classic fragrances, niche perfumes, as well as drugstore ones and discontinued scents which might have been otherwise obscure to decode. Very handy! Basenotes is another huge database of fragrances which lists fragrance "notes": you can search the desired fragrance of choice and compare and contrast notes of others; or better yet run them through their system by typing the ones you're interested in, in the appropriate box, separated by a comma (say: tobacco, hay, leather) ~five seconds later they will present you with several choices to choose from, masculine or feminine, whatever you prefer. For instance, these are the choices I got by randomly typing orange blossom, rose, tuberose, amber: A Demi-mot by Galimard, Trussardi Action Donna, Darling II by Fabergé, Magical Romance by Anna Sui, New York Nights by Girard, Razala by Ayala Moriel and Spellbound by Estée Lauder. You can do the same thing on the Fragrantica site as well.

Sometimes, among perfume afficionados, there is the seemingly practical advice of buying a sampler pack from Sephora to let the recipient of your gift choose what they like themselves, accompanied by a gift certificate to go on and buy that fragrance later on. Although this seems like a wonderful solution to the above dilemmas on shopping for fragrance for someone else, the recipient unless a hardcore perfumista/perfumisto is left with no goody bag to unwrap. A disappointing feeling, despite your better intentions... To avoid that, yet guarantee a successful purchase, you can buy whatever you have narrowed it down to and then ask the sales associate at the shop to include a sample vial of said fragrance inside the gift packaging, so that the giftee can sample the fragrance at the leisure of their home without ruining the packaging (this is especially important for the European market that does not accept returns of opened products, unless clearly defective). If you can, include a couple of samples of fragrances available in the same store, so that if the first is not as successful, maybe it will give them ideas and the return will be easy and enjoyable. It's generally a good idea to ask if returns are acceptable anyway and the specific terms of those returns -a simple return receipt, the time-frame in which it can be done etc.- and let the recipient know about them (they wouldn't ask you themselves out of politeness). This is especially important for men who often feel intimidated in department stores and boutiques and would rather let that pretty flacon gather dust than venture into that sea of unknown. If you suspect this is the case and it's someone close, offer to do it for them or accompany them and do some sniffing together. This is also a lovely bonding experience for couples (and eye-opening too, I might add).

Whatever you do remember another rule of thumb: Most people have not even heard of niche brands and no matter how much you want to introduce them to the delectable joys of Serge Lutens, Frédéric Malle or the newest wonder of Comme des Garcons for H&M, their products might smell weird to them and the brand recognisability will be nil (I realize that if you're reading Perfume Shrine you're probably beyond that, wearing what you like and perhaps even embracing the lure of the "being in the know" factor, but the average person is still swayed by what they perceive as "prestige" ~brands such as Chanel, Lancôme, Hermès, Guerlain, Christian Dior, Bulgari, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent et al have still a lot of covetability cachet in them).

Last but not least, some of the most popular and generally well-liked fragrances across the boards you're less likely to get wrong with (but there's no 100% guarantee!) include the following:
For women: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Prada Infusion d'Iris, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Stella McCartney Stella, Burberry Brit, Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison, Philosophy Amazing Grace.
For men: Guerlain Vetiver, Gendarme by Gendarme, Armani Mania for men, Thierry Mugler Cologne, Gucci pour Homme, Gucci Envy pour homme, Prada Infusion d'Homme, Rochas Man, Paco Rabanne XS, Dior Eau Sauvage, Cerruti 1881, Terre d'Hermès.

Good luck shopping and remember, it's the thought that counts!

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Christmas 08 Gift Ideas part 1

Pics from top via Flickr by 99elledge, DonnaGreyson and *an_drea.

6 Tips on How To Sample as Many Fragrances as Possible

Getting to try out lots and diverse fragrances can be a daunting task, not least because there is the difficulty of keeping up with all the new releases and of getting actual samples to try out at home.
So here are some tips to help you out!

1.Map out your destination: do you want to go mass market testing or upscale boutique? It makes all the difference in the world in the proceedings, as you will see. I would suggest you make a list of coveted fragrances for each itinerary and then follow my suggestions for each.
And above all: forgo perfume and anything scented on that day. You want to have as much "virgin" skin on exposure as possible.

2.If you choose to go the department store/Sephora way. There is a specific code of conduct for this, so pay attention.
We all know that one of the major obstacles in unobtrused testing is sales assistants and their sometimes predatory jump-up on you with their "can I help you?". To avoid that without having to say 10 times "I'm merely browsing" there are several techniques. One of which is to dress as unconspicuously as possible: too expensive and fashion-forward and you look like someone who needs someone on his beck and call; too shabby and you look like a possible shoplifter. You want to mix with your surroundings, be a little bit anonymous.
Avoiding eye contact also works great. Take a little basket at hand if you're at Sephora -or anywhere they offer those- and browse the fragrance aisles unobtrused, spritzing to your heart's content, swifting to another bottle if you see a sales assistant coming your way: no one will bother to stop you. Should they do and you're in a good mood, you can assume your girliest look and say pleadingly: "Can I play just a little bit? It's such fun!"

3.If you want to actually get samples from a department store for testing at home. First of all, preferably go when you actually do need to make even a tiny purchase (say, a nail polish). Then when you do ask for the item, you can also interject questions about the fragrances you need samples of. They do have them if it's something new no matter what they might say and they are intended for your use, so be a little persistent, although always polite. Ask questions and be prepared to hear the wrong answers. You're not there to outwit them, you're there with a mission. Make them like you. Questioning shows that you have an actual interest in the scent and you are a potential customer, not just a sample hoarder, so the sales assistant will be more receptive. If they do not have sample vials to give (it can happen once in a while), you can bring your own and ask for a fill-up from the tester. Sephora in particular offers this as a standard practice, so don't be afraid to at least suggest it.
If your interest is on something older, it's probably hidden under the counter and you have to ask for the tester. Be brave and do it, they will produce it for you.


4.If you choose to go the niche boutique/upscale store with exclusives. A completely different approach is needed here. Dress as eclectically or classically expensive as you can, without going overboard of course. Drop the tacky fake items at all costs and look tidy: a tidy exterior has been scientifically proven to inject the idea that the person is organised and knows what he/she wants.
If you have actually shopped in the same shop before, it is a good idea to carry a little shopping bag of the store (with your sunglasses or your scarf inside): it lets them know instantly you're a customer and they will be extra friendly! If not but you have a small shopping bag from a comparable store, carry that instead: they will perceive the competition and strive to get the sale themselves.
Let them approach you and then state your purpose clearly. "I came to sample the new Chanel fragrances" or "I have read that the new Amouage has just come in!" They will be glad to show you.
When the difficult time of actually requesting a physical sample vial comes, you can always pretend you already have a perfume on and would prefer to sample at the leisure of your home. If they seem a little obstinate, claiming they have no sample vials, you can produce your own from your (expensive) purse and politely ask them to fill up from the tester. If they cannot do that, you can at least ask for blotters to spritz and sniff at home: you can have your own blotters and little envelopes to put them in seperately in your purse. They might look at you funny at this point, pay no attention.
If they decline, have the good manners to smile and thank them anyway. These people just work in a luxury shop, they don't own the things, plus they're on their feet all day. Don't envy them!

5.Befriend a competent sales assistant at your favourite store. It can't be stressed enough. She is worth her weight in gold! She will tell you about all the lasest news (those that she knows, at least), when items arrive and if there is a waiting list she will phone you when it's still getting started, so you do have a chance to get your item in time. Not to mention she will fill your handbag with samples following any actual purchase you make at the store!

6.If you're generally bored/daunted/sick of the whole shopping experience and want to do everything from home/desk.

a) You can swap for them on any perfume board for afficionados, such as Makeup Alley, or Basenotes. There is a technique involved here too: first amass some samples you think people will want to trade you for, then browse for those you wish for and get into the fine details. Preferably choose established swappers with good feedback and always make clear what each one's end of the deal is before sending. Swapping is a matter of trust and supposed to be fun. If you feel weird during the proceedings, better let it pass.

b) You can order niche samples from several fragrance sites directly, such as Aedes de Venustas, Luscious Cargo, Luckyscent and First in Fragrance. They make the bulk of their revenue out of samples anyway, I suspect (if their bestseller lists are any testament to that!).
Unsniffed purchases of whole bottles is strongly discouraged. You can be stuck with something you hate and no one wants! Don't be swayed by the ad copy just because it's not a magazine you're reading it in. It's still ad copy!
I would also personally advise against purchasing things that come only in nanodrops for exorbitant prices. Time and again has proven that those are ultimately disappointing and they soon crop up in people's swap lists anyway, so you can save the bucks and go route a (see right above).

c) You can email/write to perfume companies directly and ask for their sampling programme. Sometimes they have wonderful sample packs that will delight you. Its' worth it! Ormonde Jayne, Nobile 1942, Vero Profumo, Etat Libre d'orange (with their set of 17 miniatures) and others are such companies.
Some even have free giveaways such as Tauer Perfumes who frequently does so through his blog, which is the ultimate in a joyous experience.
Artisanal perfumers generally are very willing to send samples of their work for a nominal fee: try Abdes Salaam profumo.it, Anya's Garden, Aftelier, Sonoma Scent Studio, Ayala Moriel, Michael Storer, Liz Zorn/Soivohoe fragrances.
Also major companies have cottoned up to the power of the Internet and began to harness it by launching seperate pages for their new scents, often hosting sample giveaways and contests with prizes. Googling a new perfume name along with the sample/giveaway/contest tag will make those pop up. Example: here. I simply entered "Chloe new perfume sample" on Google!

d) You can also buy from respected sellers online, such as The Perfumed Court, The Posh Peasant and Fishbone fragrances. They have a great selection, but as prices are a little expensive, you might want to keep this for things you can't lay your hands any other way. You're guaranteed good service.

e) Last but not least, every time you make an online purchase at any site that carries fragrance, no matter what the purchase is, you can write at the comment form that you would appreciate fragrance samples with your order. They will oblige and send a little something, most of the time.


Pic courtesy of theage.au

The Dirty Secrets of the Grey Market & Fakes

In addition to the revelations of the exceedingly low costs of several fragrances on the market that we discussed recently, Perfume Shrine continues to be inspired by the juicy behind-the-scenes reportage by Chandler Burr in The Perfect Scent. Unfortunately it corroborates all our worst suspicions and the hush hush gossip we have been hearing from people in the know: "The biggest, dirtiest secret is that you have to sell your products to yourself" as one French executive had revealed. Now that it is in the open, we feel at liberty to discuss this.

The parallel market is what is at the bottom of all this. Burr brings the example of Chanel France who makes the products and has to sell to Chanel USA (there goes the myth, then, dear readers!), who in turn sell the products to the distributors ~where you go and buy your fragrances.
This official practice however is supplemented by them selling to the Arabian Peninsula as well ~Dubai. Which is lawful of course, but which leaves the margin of the latter liquidating the products at some indeterminate moment to dirty little stores on less respectable avenues. Something that was not intended by the headquarters.
This is what happened with the cheap bottles of normally expensive Creed fragrances that so often raise their heads in Ebay or certain sellers online: the grey market. {click for a coherent explanation of how this works}.

Basically valid when the dollar is stronger than other currencies, the grey market operates on

"goods that are legitimately imported from abroad, carry a recognizable trademark or brand name, and are sold at significant discounts outside of the manufacturer's normal channels of distribution".

To restraint such disreputable practices that mar the cachet of any prestigious brand, companies try to shut down those distributors, but more importantly they try to control diverting by marking their product. This practice also protects the consumer from the cheap fakes which circulate as well, usually made in the Far East, more of which later on.
The lot numbering on Chanel bottles started for this exact purpose and they marked the boxes with the country they would sell to (such as, indeed, Dubai). Apart from the etching on the bottom of the glass, Chanel bottles bear a four digit code on the back side of the bottle, just over the base: very discreetly, but there, able to be traced. However diverters soon realised that it was possible to open the boxes, alter the numbers and re-shrinkwrap them. The answer by the legitimate producer was to use invisible ink, but it is a universal thuth alas that anything one devises, another is able to crack...

What is perhaps more intriguing still is that now there is a new technological breakthrough that like a version of Brave New World gone tangibly real it manages to genetically imprint the juice with a recognisable substance that is readable by a gunlike machine which picks up its signal. Very futuristic, no?
Of course this is not very useful to the consumer, who does not possess such a machine, nor is he/she privy to the fact that there is such a process in practice anyway!
To give you an example, this is one method that Jean Paul Gaultier parfums (and therefore Givaudan who produce them) are known to go through. In those beautiful torso bottles there is some genetic stuff floating around that is identifying the juice as the genuine article; something we hadn't thought of when we dabbed the fragrant liquid on our skin.
Other companies such as Chanel do equally well in protecting themselves, with their own methods. Others yet, like the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesy group (which includes Dior, Givenchy, Guerlain, Kenzo, Lowe and Aqua di Parma parfums) do less well apparently, per the industry gossip.

The following info is especially eye-opening:

"If you take all the sales, 50% are sold in these parallel markets. It helps Chanel France's bottom line, but it hurts Chanel USA's bottom line. Nowadays it's such a common practice it's become uncontrollable. And even the parallel market is in its worst state everywhere because heads of companies have to make their yearly numbers, and so at the end of the year they get desperate and start pouring product into the legitimate markets, which then overflow into the parallel market, which right now is actually flooded".

~Chandler Burr, The Perfect Scent, Holt 2008, p.156

Which brings us back to the matter of fakes as well. Parallel market presence is indavertedly a sign of recognition of a brand's recognisability as much as the production of fakes is a sign of desiribility of the original product.
It is no accident that Chanel is the brand whose products from cosmetics to fragrances have been most copied and faked: it is universally the most recognisable beauty brand and enjoys iconic status accounting for much of its sales.

But time to get practical for the benefit of the customer. In order to differentiate a fake from the original product one has to pay attention to certain details: Usually the cap and lid are not quite right and less luxurious than they should. There is no engraving on the bottom of the bottle but rather a stick-on label, or else the etching is badly made. The logo isn't as sharp as the one on official product in stores, denoting lack of the proper equipement to implement it in the first place. The glass can be a little streaky, not uniform, a sign of inferior quality. And of course in a fake too often the smell is off, with overwhelming alcoholic opening or a stickiness later on, and the colour is not as it should be.
For those reasons, perhaps despite the elevated prices it might be a good idea to purchase your Chanel bottles at a regular store.
But as always whatever you do, it is in your interest to be informed. For this purpose, Perfume Shrine recommends those two Ebay guides for spotting fake Chanel perfumes.
Here is the first one focusing on specific bottles and here is another one about Coco Mademoiselle in particular with info on the box as well.

Accompanied with pics, they are a little nudge to let you make the right choice.

Pic of Eiga Japan from Ebay sent to me by mail by a friend :)